Should i still be using flash to build my sites or is considered a thing of the past? Do people prefer to visit non-flash based websites these days?
Flash sites is not something you should put your effort in. They often load slow and they are also "clumpsy" when it comes to SEO. People want clean and fast loading websites nowadays.
And unless anything's changed, the iPhones and iPads don't run flash so you might want to steer away from it.
Thats a good point point. At present using iPhones and iPads is more common and when you build your website in flash, you loose some of your valuable customers. When your website has text,, it supports SEO, But Flash is not SEO friendly. SO, It depends on the content and business purpose of your website. You gotta choose the right technolory for right purpose!!
You have to focus your clients and what they want to see. Is not the same public on a blog and on a portfolio. In the first one you are showing content, and in the second selling image